The present study reports metal and arsenic contamination in sediments, as well as element accumulation and partitioning in the polychaete Diopatra neapolitana in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon (Portugal). The polychaetes biochemical performance and tissue regenerative capacity were also evaluated. The concentration of elements in sediments showed an increase of contamination among areas (areas A–G), but higher bioaccumulation was observed in organisms from a less contaminated area (area C, BAF>1). This study evidenced that individuals with higher elements bioaccumulation presented higher LPO and lower GSH/GSSG and also exhibited lower capacity for body regeneration. Polychaetes biotransformation capacity as well as antioxidant defense mechanisms were not sufficiently efficient to withstand the excess of ROS leading to increased LPO when organisms presented higher bioaccumulation levels. Additionally, an increase of methalotionines was also observed in individuals with higher bioaccumulation of metals and As, suggesting an induction of detoxification processes.

Permeability is the ability of a sediment deposit to allow fluids to pass through it. It depends on the local types of sediments. When the fluid is oil, high permeability implies greater interaction with the site and more extensive damage, which makes recovery most difficult. Knowledge of permeability oscillations is necessary to understand oil behavior and improve cleanup techniques. The goal is to determine oil permeability variations on lagoon sand beaches. Oil permeability tests were performed at the beach face, using a Modified Phillip Dunne Permeameter and parameters were sampled. Permeability of lagoon beaches is driven by grain diameter and roundness, soil compaction, and depth of the water table. Factors that enhance permeability include: sand sorting, vertical distribution of sediments and gravel percentage. High permeability on lagoon beaches is related to polymodal distribution, to the sediment package, and to the system's low mobility.

A next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach, in conjunction with culture-based methods, was used to examine fungal and prokaryotic communities for the presence of potential pathogens in beach sands throughout Portugal. Culture-based fungal enumeration revealed low and variable concentrations of the species targeted (yeasts and dermatophytes), which were underrepresented in the community characterized by NGS targeting the ITS1 region. Conversely, NGS indicated that the potentially pathogenic species Purpureocillium liliacinum comprised nearly the entire fungal community. Culturable fecal indicator bacterial concentrations were low throughout the study and unrelated to communities characterized by NGS. Notably, the prokaryotic communities characterized revealed a considerable abundance of archaea. Results highlight differences in communities between methods in beach sand monitoring but indicate the techniques offer complementary insights. Thus, there is a need to leverage culture-based methods with NGS methods, using a toolbox approach, to determine appropriate targets and metrics for beach sand monitoring to adequately protect public health.

To constrain organic matter compositions and origins, elemental (TOC, TN, C/N) and stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen isotope (δ15N) compositions are measured for surface sediments collected from muddy deposit along the Zhejiang coast, East China Sea. The results showed that the TOC, TN, C/N, δ13C, and δ15N were 0.19–0.67%, 0.03–0.09%, 6.76–9.22, −23.43 to −20.26‰, and 3.93–5.27‰, respectively. The δ13C values showed that the mixing inputs of terrigenous and marine organic matter generally dominated sedimentary organic matter in the west part, and the sedimentary organic matters were mainly influenced by the marine organic matter in the east part of the study area. A stable carbon isotope two end member mixing model estimates ~38% terrestrial -derived and ~62% marine-derived inputs to sedimentary organic matter. Microbial mineralization strongly controls δ15N values, and therefore cannot be used to identify the provenance of organic matter for the Zhenjiang coast.

Intensive anthropogenic activities have a serious negative effect on the Jiangsu coastal area of China, especially on the distinctive intertidal zone. Humans are trying to eliminate this effect by taking protection and eco-compensation measures. However, when trying to determine the ecological status and quantify the anthropogenic impact for this area, the complex relationship between ecosystems and environmental stress leads to difficulties in reflecting general environmental quality. This study assessed the benthic ecological status of 10 transects (three stations/transect) across six different typologies over six years (2007, 2009–2013) in the Jiangsu intertidal zone. A unitary assessment of each transect was conducted using the multivariate AZTI Marine Biotic Index (M-AMBI), along with a radar chart (and its parameters). In the Jiangsu intertidal zone, the ecological status was noted as good or moderate at most sampling stations. Among the six assessed years, 2010 had the highest ecological status, while 2007 had the lowest. As for transects, transect 1 had the highest ratings, and transect 3 had the lowest ratings. Various stresses and advantageous human intervention and contributed to the ecological status for the different areas. The M-AMBI could be used in the future as a suitable index to assess the benthic ecological status of the Jiangsu intertidal zone. In addition, the new unitary method validated in this study could be used to assess ecosystems with several small biotopes, while accurately reflecting environmental quality.

Barrow's goldeneyes are sea ducks that winter throughout coastal British Columbia (BC). Their diet consists primarily of intertidal blue mussels, which can accumulate PAHs; accordingly, goldeneyes may be susceptible to exposure through contaminated prey. In 2014/15, we examined total PAH concentrations in mussels from undeveloped and developed coastal areas of BC. At those same sites, we used EROD to measure hepatic CYP1A induction in goldeneyes. We found higher mussel PAH concentrations at developed coastal sites. Regionally, goldeneyes from southern BC, which has relatively higher coastal development, had higher EROD activity compared to birds from northern BC. Our results suggest goldeneyes wintering in coastal BC were exposed to PAHs through diet, with higher exposure among birds wintering in coastal areas with greater anthropogenic influence. These results suggest the mussel-goldeneye system is suitable as a natural, multi-trophic-level indicator of contemporary hydrocarbon contamination occurrence and exposure useful for establishing oil spill recovery endpoints.

A total of 9 sediment samples of Liaohe River protected areas were collected to evaluate aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists (AhR-agonists) and AhR-agonist activity via chemical analysis and in vitro H4IIE cell bioassay. Results indicated that bioassay-derived 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (Bio-TEQs) ranged from 89.1 to 251.1pg/g dry weight. Concentrations of 16 EPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) ranged from 256.8 to 560.1ng/g, 79.2 to 416.2pg/g, and 199.6 to 538.4pg/g, respectively. According to potency balance analysis, TEQchems based on PAHs, PCBs, and PCDD/Fs could contribute 16.56% to 26.11% of Bio-TEQs. This could be explained by the potential existence of unidentified AhR-agonists and the potential non-additive interactions among AhR-agonists in sediment extracts. Through the different contributions to Bio-TEQs, this study confirms that PCDD/Fs were the main pollutants that induced significantly AhR-agonist activity in sediments of Liaohe River protected areas.

Antibiotics are heavily used in Chinese mariculture, but only a small portion of the added antibiotics are absorbed by living creatures. Biofilm processes are universally used in mariculture wastewater treatment. In this study, removal of antibiotics (norfloxacin, rifampicin, and oxytetracycline) from wastewater by moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) and the influence of antibiotics on reactor biofilm were investigated. The results demonstrated that there was no significant effect of sub-μg/L–sub-mg/L concentrations of antibiotics on TOC removal. Moreover, the relative abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistance bacteria (ARB) in MBBR biofilm increased because of selective pressure of antibiotics. In addition, antibiotics decreased the diversity of the biofilm bacterial community and altered bacterial community structure. These findings provide an empirical basis for the development of appropriate practices for mariculture, and suggest that disinfection and advanced oxidation should be applied to eliminate antibiotics, ARGs, and ARB from mariculture wastewater.

This study analyzed the profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in filterable PM2.5 particles collected from a total of 71 boilers and 22 indirect type furnaces that burn liquid and biomass fuels in the Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica, from February 2014 to November 2015. Modified method NIOSH 5506 was used to analyze PAHs content present in the filter samples. The average concentration of PM2.5 showed values between 18 and 735 mg m−3, based on the source and fuel type used, while the total PAHs in the PM2.5 fraction ranged 1.02–592 μgm−3. For biomass boilers, the most abundant species were Benzo[g,h,i]perylene (BghiP) (35.7–46.5%), Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IND) (20.6–27.1%), Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) (5.2–14.7%) and Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DBA) (3.2–13.9%), while for liquid fuels IND (12.8–20.5%), BghiP (7.9–21.2%), Fluoranthene (Flu) (14.5–21.3%) and Pyrene (Pyr) (9.8–14.5%) prevailed. The particles from biomass furnace emissions present higher concentrations of PAHs classified by the U.S. EPA as probable human carcinogens causing a greater health risk than other fuels. Among the diagnostic concentration ratios examined, only BaP/(BaP+Chr), BaA/Chr, BaA/BaP and Pyr/BaP coefficients demonstrated codependency on the type of fuel used.

Diclofenac is one of the most frequently detected pharmaceuticals in various aquatic environments. The photodegradation of diclofenac in the absence/presence of nitrate, Fe(III) and chloride, especially their interactions, were systematically studied. Under the study conditions, photodegradation rate was decreased with increasing nitrate, Fe(III) and chloride concentrations. Nitrate has an synergistic action for Fe(III). Nitrate and chloride have antagonistic effect. An antagonistic action is present between nitrate, Fe(III) and chloride. Moreover, a simple linear model which very well describes the results is given.